2025 Figure Of The Year: Blade
“I’ve waited a long time for this…”
A handful of new characters were introduced in the 1987 Masters of The Universe movie but none cooler and more toyetic in my opinion than Skeletor’s master swordsman, Blade. Played by stuntman and stunt choreographer Anthony Delongis, Blade appeared to be a live action replacement of the character TriKlops in the hopes to create new characters and toys but given the movies box office flop and the fact that MOTU was in its dying days, we didn’t see a lot these characters being used going forward. On top of that, not much is know about Blade himself as a backstory was never truly established but it is believed that he is the most deadly swordsman in all of the galaxy. And the most snappy dresser. I mean that chainmail get up takes confidence right there.
Alongside Saurod and Gwildor, Blade was also one of three characters from the movie to receive an official action figure at the time(which if you can look beyond horrible grammar and typos, you can read my ancient review here) and sadly…that’s about it. A cameo appearance in a comic book here and there through the years, a great figure in the MOTU Classics line in 2013 which didn’t see retail but was an online exclusive , but other than that…nothing. Well, that is until this year.
Seeing the success of other live action characters in the Masterverse line, Mattel finally gave us fans a chance to own a movie accurate figure. Boasting impressive articulation and a great sculpt, this figure is the Blade we’ve all been waiting for. And good heavens, was it worth the wait…
The accessories are simple. Two swords and that weird cosmic lightsaber whip (which, full disclosure I somehow lost shortly before I wrote this article, so please use your imagination. Yes I am quite embarrassed over this) that he would beat the crap out of He-Man with, which was a real scene somehow. I’ll say this, I don’t believe he needed a boatload of accessories, it’s not like he was featured in the movie with a gun or an alternate headgear, so this works just fine.
His head sculpt is pretty spot on. I don’t think it looks exactly like Anthony but I do think it passes the likeness test well enough to not have any major complaints. Well, ok not true, my only complaint is his expression. It’s a bit on the softer side and I’m sure that was part of trying to skirt around a likeness issue but I would’ve loved have seen more of a mean scowl or an evil determined look. But it’s still not enough for me to be angry over.
The attention to detail including the daggers on his thigh, the gauntlet on his wrist, and the chain mail costume are exceptional. And as a bonus, with those badass spikes on his shoulder pads, he’ll fit right in with Demolition or the Road Warriors in your WWE collection. I can see it now: Ax, Smash, and Blade. It would have been better than Crush, that’s for sure!
This is a figure that I would consider and nominate to be 2025 Figure Of The Year in terms of anticipation and delivery. It’s just such a great release and the sculpt really accentuates all the positives of who I think is a character that should be used more in MOTU lore. On top of that, I also hope that we do get more movie characters. We’ve already seen He-Man, Skeletor, Evil Lyn, BeastMan and Blade, so I hope we round out the collection with the rest of the characters. Hopefully in 2026? Who knows, maybe I’ll be writing a review around this time next year proclaiming my love of a movie accurate Masterverse Karg figure.
And yes I am saying that to put it out in the universe in hopes that it will actually happen. Or whatever that saying is. Either way, Mattel, keep these figures coming!
Good journey,
-Chad
